Green Advocates International and the Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic of Yale Law School have written the UN, calling for stronger protection of environmental defenders attending the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) events.
Organized under the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), COP is the world’s largest forum for international climate negotiations.
The two organizations have jointly submitted an input (report) to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) to call for changes within the UN framework to fully protect climate defenders’ free participation at the (UNFCCC)’s annual COP meetings.
The submission seeks to inform OHCHR’s 2024 report on intimidation and reprisals. It details ongoing issues facing environmental defenders attending the annual COP meetings, including intimidation and repression of their speech while at COP, and reprisal upon return to their home countries. COP meetings are currently the preeminent forum for international climate negotiations and involve discussions on climate change and other related environmental issues.
The submission evaluates how the UN and host countries treat environmental defenders, many of whom face extreme threats at home, highlighting the special risks defenders endure when attending COP.
The Coordinator of the Mano River Union Civil Society Natural Resources Rights and Governance Platform and Head of the Secretariat of the Environmental Rights Africa (ERA) Coalition based in Monrovia, Liberia, Peter Quaqua, declared, “Defenders represent the communities hardest hit by the climate crisis, yet they are afforded the least visibility at the most significant setting for climate negotiations.”
Peter added, “Even as the climate crisis worsens, attendance by civil society and environmental defenders at the COP gatherings has been increasing yearly. This should inform the UN that the presence of activists at COP is unavoidable; hence, the need to provide maximum protection and due respect to them.”
The submission is precipitated by inhuman treatments and attacks experienced by environmental defenders at various COP events, including COP28, which took place in Dubai in early December 2023. The report identifies critical gaps in protection for environmental defenders. It points to several shortcomings, most notably that State parties and the UNFCCC itself do not appear to recognize the speech rights of attendees at COP, as reflected in the UNFCCC’s guidelines.
Radiatu Haja Sheriff Kahnplaye, Policy Advisor for the Natural Resources Women Platform, a women’s social movement across West Africa, observed that “Through the COP meetings and demonstrations, we can elevate issues uniquely faced by our communities that otherwise go without discussions at COP.”
However, the failure to affirm basic rights had knock-on effects across COP28. Shehla Chowdhury, one of the researchers, lamented, “We were struck by the widespread chilling of defenders as well as overt censorship at COP28.”
The submission notes that defenders are placed in a double bind when COP occurs in a host country that does not respect the rights of freedom of speech and association more generally; attendees feel they must confine their actions to the UN-run space, even though that means abiding by UNFCCC restrictions on speech.
A particular sticking point was the UNFCCC’s ban on criticism of particular countries or companies.
“The UNFCCC tells us we are welcome, but only if we give up our rights to tell the truth,” Atuheire Brian, Executive Director of the African Initiative on Food Security and Environment (AIFE-Uganda), said.
“With so many rules around what could and could not be said in demonstrations, as well as cameras placed across the venue, it was hard to feel like you could speak freely at any point,” added Ina-Maria Shikongo, a climate activist and member of Fridays for Future.
In order to protect the critical voices of environmental defenders in climate negotiations, the proposal urges the UNFCCC to take several immediate measures, including making public the UN’s agreement with the host country.
The UNFCCC’s Secretariat is urged to incorporate clearer protections for speech and assembly into COP guidelines and to make space for defenders at the negotiation table themselves. “It is simply unfair to ask environmental defenders to take on the real risks of repression without at least knowing whether the host country has agreed to observe the most basic protection of freedom of expression,” Ding Yuan criticized.
Alfred Lahai Gbabai Brownell Sr., Founding President of the Global Climate Legal Defense Network and Lead Campaigner Founder of Green Advocates International, said, “To safeguard the critical voices of activists in climate negotiations, I implore the UNFCCC to strengthen host country agreements, incorporate substantive speech protections into COP guidelines that have impeded the full participation of climate activists, and increase the participation of environmental defenders in negotiations.”
International law, including the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, affirm a human right to free speech. “The UN must ensure these rights are upheld within the spaces they manage,” added Alfred Brownell.
The clinic team, comprising Shehla Chowdhury, Chloe Miller, Sonya Schoenberger, and Ding Yuan, under the supervision of Hope Metcalf (Lecturer in Law and Executive Director, Schell Center for International Human Rights) and Alfred Brownell (Tom and Andi Bernstein Visiting Human Rights Fellow and Founder of Green Advocates International), worked on a year-long project that evaluated risks facing global climate defenders.
Seven environmental activist coalitions co-signed on the submission, including the African Climate Platform, the Alliance for Rural Democracy, the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedom, the Egyptian Organization for Environmental Rights, the Environmental Rights Legal Framework Coalition for Africa, the Mano River Union Civil Society Natural Resource Rights and Governance Platform, and the Natural Resource Women Platform.
By Precious D. Freeman
The head of the Liberia National Police, Inspector General Gregory Coleman, has advised the motorcyclists and all other organizations that channel their dissatisfaction through protest to stop, because LNP will not be intimidated by that.
According to him, this is a society of laws, and the lawlessness has to end, stating. “Protests cannot be the only way out; if you have ideas that are better, we will all sit and co-operate with it, but if you feel that you can do all by protesting and think it is the only way out, we are guaranteeing you that law and order will prevail in this country.”
He added that for their selfish interest, the rights of the citizens will not be infringed by their protest, so the LNP, serving as safety measures for the public, will not allow anyone threaten the State.
“This is a challenge with everyone that has initiated a protest in the name of standing with the motorcyclists; our doors are open for ideas. If there are other meaningful ways we can handle the case, bring your idea; if it is suitable enough, then we will go by it,” he said.
Making the remarks at the induction ceremony of the first female Spokesperson for LNP, he mentioned that to all those who have called for justice on murder issues, they are working on it, adding that he is so disappointed because they never called for the same justice during the death of the late Princess Cooper, the three missing boys from Saint Moses, and Gifty Lamah, among others.
IG Coleman disclosed that measures are being put in place to curtail the lots of crimes around, and that it’s their rights and responsibilities to protect the lives and property of the citizens, making sure that all the perpetrators will be brought to justice.
He also promised that all of the cases that have some levels of suspicions will be dealt with, and that if autopsy is needed in some of these cases, the press will be informed before the process begins.
Speaking on other issues, IG Coleman explained that the Ministry of Public Safety raised a concern about the movement from the western cluster end, with the trucks coming to Monrovia issued tickets two weeks ago, and that they have begun to see increase again in their speed.
He continued that they will be reaching out to the management to have a very serious discussion with them, and if they all cannot come up with an immediate conclusion on how to increase the safety and the protection of the road, then the LNP will put a hold to their movement until there can be a decision reached by the government.
“We are concerned and are not going to sit here and allow accidents to happen before taking action,” he said.
